He's behind you! Rob's not the messiah - he's a very naughty boy! Watch The Archers pantomime here.

[PseudoBadger]

Oh no he isn't! Oh yes he is!

Skeletons cupboards. The doors slowly open. Wasn't Miles the name of the boy in the Ibsen? Play the one about the governess and two evil children.

I think you're thinking of The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, Minimammoth. Haven't read it but I believe the boy is indeed Miles.

I've put the Bartleby idea to Mr Gasp, but I'm afraid he isn't keen.

Anyone else reminded of the opening chapters of David Copperfield and poor, ineffectual Mrs Copperfield being taken over by Mr Murdstone and his sister? I found that sinister when I first read it as a 10-year-old and much, much harder to bear when I re-read it a few years ago after having my children. I could easily see Henry in the David Copperfield role - forbidden from touching his baby brother, scapegoated for everything, banished to school. Sadly he has no Peggotty figure.

Excellent analogy Gaspode. You've made me want to re-read it! Henry ought to have any number of people looking out for him though - he is entirely surrounded by close family and Helen's close friends (despite Knob's best efforts). Perhaps Peggy will be be Henry's Pegotty (though she is hardly full of the milk of human kindness - just that her name sounds closest )

Perhaps the Grundys will step in? They have a pretty young girl not far from Henry in age (Keira - is that how it's spelled?) to take on Little Em'ly's role and Clarrie has a sister in Great Yarmouth. Now to work out who could be Steerforth. I could see SOC going for a Steerforth figure, sadly.

That's the one gaspode.

And the screw is indeed being turned. There are no new plots really are there?

"Are we supposed to think Knob is a controlling twat because that is what his mother is like?"

Maybe we're supposed to start sympathising because it's all his mother's fault? That's what would happen if Helen posted a thread on Mumsnet about it!

I am thinking maybe he has always been at least loosely in touch with his mother but has kept her distant because he is NC with his dad and possibly brother as well. Hence why she has only turned when she is on her own.

I agree, Ursula does seem more like his ally rather than enemy but something obviously stops him allowing her to be close.

Jake? Yet to reveal any personality.

Or Mungo? Younger but has the advantage of being of the blood.

George seems to have tearaway qualities but might be too stolid.

Freddie could lead anyone astray; too old?

Oh, but of course - Ruairi. (Except that the age difference means they'll never be at the same school, much as Rob might like engaging in prep school chat with Brian.)

If soc goes down the 'knobs a knob because of his mum' route then I will not be dissuaded from the idea he is a woman hating mysogynist

Minimammoth - not sure about the degree of concordance between Henry James and Britten's libretto, but if you're right about the connection between Miles here and Miles in the Turn of the Screw, this might imply a history of sexual abuse in Rob's family?

(Though obviously what I just said is a lot to assume on the basis of one person having the same name - and a weird power dynamic; the Copperfield analogy probably works rahter more directly.)

(but then overthinking this a bit further (surely that's what this thread is for, isn't it?) - Miles is fairly clearly gay in the Turn of the Screw- at least Britten's version of it. Is that the basis of Rob's problem with Miles?)

Doesn't soc say he is channeling Shakespeare? In which case, who is going to end up in a pie?

Rob pie served to ursula?

Are we sure it's Miles; could it be Niles?
I could quite enjoy a Niles Crane character on TA.

Me too R4 Niles is great on't telly. I enjoy Frasier too It's not low brow IMO!!! (though the newer series wasn't not so good )

Oh dear! apologies for the typo.

I'd just like to add that overthinking is exactly what this thread is for!

This Ursula business just felt really wrong. For starters, I thought Rob loathed his parents and wouldn't speak to them. So why so civil and why had he been emailing his mum. Moving on (swiftly) to why didn't Helen say how sorry she was they couldn't make that dinner party way back when to which she'd have replied that they'd never been invited thus exposing Knob's true nature

I reckon Hellin is going to become ill as a result of her enforced confinement/'bed-rest'. Maybe even bed sores?

This is where pats behaviour is so odd

I would have expected her to ask what the mw had said and why she was confined to bed rest - not just accept that's natural for a pg woman

Helen needs to go on google and print out some research about being active in pregnancy being good for the baby

Do you think rob will start force feeding her?

Re-de-lurking to say last night I found the Helen/Rob/Ursula scene quite disturbing. Ursula sounds unhinged and the atmosphere was almost gothic in its portentousness (is that a word?) as well as being very claustrophobic. Which is why the Turn of the Screw parallels are spot-on. This morning, I'm seeing the League of Gentlemen replaying the scene with Mark Gatiss as Ursula. Plain weird (and not funny either, like the LoG, though I like what they've all done subsequently). Right, said my piece, back to the Lurkers Haven.

NotDeadYet I reckon Helen's memory, or the SW's, is not as good as yours\ours

Ursula is just like Rob Delaney's crazy mum in Catastrophe. I thought it was Carrie Fisher again!

Did anyone else wonder whether, as Ursula mentioned their first grandson, if there is in fact a granddaughter lurking somewhere? And that Rob's obsession with having a boy has something to do with the blessed Miles having only produced a daughter?